about silent heroes, people seem to forget that the intent behind them isn't to create an individual character in the story within the game, the hero is your avatar within the game. You are that character. This is why they are silent, I think it's supposed to give you more of a sense that the other characters in the game are speaking to you directly, and that you are the hero. You're stepping into the world through the main character. If you look to the silent lead as you would a pre written lead then you will come out dissapointed.

Though, silent leads aren't always done for this reason I explained. Which is kind of pointless. Such as in Crono Trigger, where they constantly refer to Crono in the third person so it's more likened to a speaking protagonist. They don't talk directly to you in that game and some others. In the Suikoden games however, I believe you are supposed to fill that avatar role, and that you are the main character. It's all about how you would react to certain situations.